The use of video in scientific research is anything but new. In fact, the very first “motion picture” was shot as part of an experiment aimed at determining if horses ever have all four feet off the ground simultaneously while galloping. On June 11, 1878, using 12 cameras placed 50 centimeters apart and trip wires to be triggered as the horse galloped by, photographer Eadweard Muybridge created the world’s first film, and in doing so, proved that indeed all four of the horse’s hooves were airborne in midstride of a gallop.
“Film emerged out of scientific research,” says David Kirby, a lecturer of science communication at the University of Manchester. “The use of film in scientific research is as old as film itself.”
More recently, scientists have embraced the use of video as a communication tool, and that trend is likely to increase, predicts Kirsten Sanford, a science communicator at ...
